Free Range or Not? What Does Everyone Prefer?

[folgerrd]

We don`t free range, I`d love to but we live way out in the bush surrounded by woods and hunters and predators. Our property isn`t large and easy to wander off of, as did happen when bringing our three chickens home. We have a small coop attached to a tiny run, which we enclose in a very large, roofless, run. Only our rooster is confined to the tiny run and just until he has adjusted to the new home(last time he took off he slept in the trees and didn`t come home until we caught him, three days later). Our run is large for the amount of birds it holds(4 ducks, three chickens) and in a few years time will probably be moved to a larger location of our property.

 

[TerryQui]

Yes, I too have hawks that nest across the street. Would love to 'Free Range' my girls, but we are not always in the backyard and have to keep them fenced in. Could anyone tell me what I could do to discourage these hungry hawks from swarming and scaring my girls? Thanks

I posted this earlier and was hoping someone would confirm it. I had a hawk take a baby and a couple days later show up for my chickens.
So I bought a large plastic owl and put it out there. The hawk has not been back since. I read this on this forum that the hawks are afraid of the owls. I wondered if anyone else has used them?

 

[speckledhen]

I've had a plastic owl around here for years. No hawk pays any attention to it and neither do the chickens, who should be afraid of owls. They don't really work unless you have a system of moving them around constantly and/or making them seem more real. My best hawk protection is our tree cover coupled with very alert roosters.

 

[Texokie1]

I posted this earlier and was hoping someone would confirm it. I had a hawk take a baby and a couple days later show up for my chickens.
So I bought a large plastic owl and put it out there. The hawk has not been back since. I read this on this forum that the hawks are afraid of the owls. I wondered if anyone else has used them?

Never used the owl, but I've heard it works for pigeons - UNTIL they realize that it doesn't move/threaten them. From what I understand, you have to move their location from time-to-time to keep them working. I've found my Border Collie is a pretty good hawk deterent...she managed to stop one in full stoop (dive bomb) just by running towards it...and I haven't seen it since (I think she seriously scared it). Have you considered a livestock guard dog? My BC isn't a TRUE LGD, but she does the trick and never bothers the chickens...

 

[CityGirl35]

I believe that is Livestock Guardian Dogs and Birds of Prey. One is good, one is....well, depends on your point of view!

 

[202roosterlane]

I think free ranging is awesome and just seems like the natural thing for chickens. But in my area, I have way too many predators that is just would not be humane if I did not to put my chickens in a very well built run. I do pick fresh grass and often buy heads of lettuce for them.

 

[TerryQui]

Never used the owl, but I've heard it works for pigeons - UNTIL they realize that it doesn't move/threaten them. From what I understand, you have to move their location from time-to-time to keep them working. I've found my Border Collie is a pretty good hawk deterent...she managed to stop one in full stoop (dive bomb) just by running towards it...and I haven't seen it since (I think she seriously scared it). Have you considered a livestock guard dog? My BC isn't a TRUE LGD, but she does the trick and never bothers the chickens...

I have three dogs and one would scare a hawk away, but she doesn't stay outside all day. I am not interested in adding a dog, but I do move my owl around.

 

[Gomes Bantams]

All my layers are free ranged. As with my breeders, they all live in a 30' x 15' pens.

I'd prefer free range but, the breeders will cross.

 

[Ashdoes]

We have a huge pen inside a fenced acre. When the chickens are full grown I'd love to see them all roaming around the full yard. Until then, their pen is almost 900sq. ft and they seem happy and healthy. We have another 1/4 acre section that's going to be a small orchard, with various fruit trees, it's right behind the chicken run and I'd like an entrance for the chickens to forage back there as well. I think the more bugs and natural greens the chickens get the, healthier they'll be and the less food you'll have to buy and feed them.
I agree with a lot of people about having a rooster as well, if you don't have a dog that will keep your hens safe.

 

[awesomechicken]

i do not like the idea of free ranging because we have a LOT of dogs were we live. so i will only free range mine when all dogs are inside , witch is almost never.